Contact Renita

Renita Fonseca, CAE, CMP | Chief Executive Officer

Renita Fonseca, CAE, CMP joined the WMS team with great enthusiasm in September of 2018. She is passionate about the association industry where she has spent her entire 20-year career. She comes to us from Austin, TX and from the Texas Radiological Society, where she served as Executive Director for close to 16 years working with all aspects of association management from board governance to strategic planning, conference planning to program development, budgeting to operations, membership to marketing and more. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Texas Tech University, and is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), as well as a Certified Association Executive (CAE) - the highest professional credential in the association industry. Renita was born and raised in India, having permanently moved to the United States when she was 16 years old. She is passionate about travelling and the outdoors, and she and her husband enjoy taking adventurous overseas trips each year. She also enjoys hiking, volleyball, fitness and dancing.

Melissa Day, PMP | Director of Membership, Marketing, & Communications

Melissa brings over 20 years of marketing, communications, and project management experience primarily with Texas non-profit associations. Her previous roles include serving as Communications Consultant at the Texas Association for School Boards, Director of Marketing for the Texas PTA, and Director of Communications with the Texas Chemical Council. Melissa has an extensive design and brand management background and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the WMS team. She holds a B.A. from West Texas A&M University and recently obtained her Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification. Melissa lives near Austin in Bastrop, Texas, where she spends her time reading, hiking, catching a good movie, and traveling whenever she can. She has one grown son.

Contact Melissa

Contact Gabi

Gabi Glass, CMP | Director of FAWM, Winter Conference, & Adventure Ed

Gabi Glass, CMP, joined the WMS staff team as our Director of Conference & Education in October, 2019.  Gabi brings 19 years of conference planning and association management experience to the WMS having worked with various non-profit organizations in Austin, Texas. Gabi graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czech Republic with a Bachelors and Masters in film and TV production. Before joining the WMS, Gabi worked as the Meeting Planner for the State Firefighters’ and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas (SFFMA) where she coordinated the annual conference, including managing a large exhibit hall, logistics, educational program planning, and more. Gabi resides in Olympia, WA  and enjoys traveling, swimming, and hiking together with her husband and two daughters.

Alicia Wilson | Director of DiDMM, Finance & Operations, & Summer Conference

Alicia Wilson joined the WMS in 2018 and brings over 15 years of experience as an association professional in the areas of finance, operations, CME program development, speaker coordination, hotel contract negotiations, meeting logistics and membership. Throughout her career, she has worked with several medical associations including the Texas Radiological Society and the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association. Alicia is a long time Austinite and University of Texas alumnus. Her passions include sailing, scuba diving and mountain biking.

Contact Alicia

Contact Teri

Teri Howell | Director of Education & DiMM 

Teri  joined the WMS from the Granite School District in Salt Lake City where she served as an administrative assistant for over 18 years. She and her husband live in the Salt Lake City area of Utah.

Alicia Byrne | WEM Managing Editor; WMS Executive & Research Assistant

Alicia Byrne first joined the WMS as the managing editor of WEM in 2015, and over the years has been involved with a mix of projects at the society. Prior to joining WEM, Alicia worked as an editor, proofreader, and copyeditor for a variety of publishers and publications. Alicia is a California native and has called San Diego home for 20-plus years. She is married with two children and enjoys spending time with family, listening to music, and reading. Her favorite outdoor activities include hiking and camping.

Contact Alicia

Contact Adam

Adam Etkin | Director of Publications

Adam is an established leader in the scholarly publishing industry with over twenty years of experience and a proven track record of taking concepts, technology, and businesses from idea to reality. He is highly experienced with all aspects of the publishing environment including journals, books, submission and peer review, ethics, plagiarism, access models, funding mandates, budgeting, publishing and hosting platforms, metrics, XML, print and digital production, and more. Adam founded PRE (Peer Review Evaluation), a suite of technology and data driven services designed to support and strengthen the peer-review process on behalf of researchers, publishers, and libraries. In his free time Adam enjoys gardening, sci-fi, and spending time with his family, which includes 8 cats and a dog.